Fox at TCA: Executive Session Live-Blog

New Fox bosses Dana Walden and Gary Newman are about to have their first TCA session.

Follow along for live updates of what they have to say about taking over as Fox Television Group Chairmen and CEOs…

10:01 AM: Starting off the day with a sizzle reel of Fox’s shows set to “Bang Bang.” Lots of new shows getting highlighted.

10:03 AM: “I love that reel,” Newman starts off. “I love it even more now that EMPIRE is a part of it.”

10:04 AM: Newman’s motto while as the co-head of the studio: “Get in business with the right talent, support them, and get them to the right network.” He says their studio brand stands for “quality programming” and now they want to rebuild the Fox network.

Newman says they’re very proud of their new shows, particularly GOTHAM and EMPIRE.

Walden says they’re excited to have the chance to “meaningfully control” their show’s destinies. Now they have the opportunity to schedule, market, etc., the shows they care about so much. She points to EMPIRE as a recent success, and the studio and network worked with the EPs to get things right. Walden and Newman said it was clear this should be their midseason priority. And now it’s been renewed for season 2!

10:09 AM: Also, GOTHAM and BROOKLYN NINE-NINE have been renewed for 2015-2016.

10:11 AM: Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens will be in GREASE LIVE, Newman says. Hough will play Sandy.

10:12 AM: Questions time. Will reality shows be more family friendly? Walden says yes. She’s especially excited about MASTERCHEF JUNIOR. But they’re looking for a “balanced” slate, so they wouldn’t object to something more out of the box.

Newman respects the fact that UTOPIA was a big swing, and it tried to be a game-changer. Ultimately, didn’t work.

10:15 AM: Ends of deals with Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz for BONES. They’re in the middle of negotiating, so no news to report today. They’re hopeful BONES will return.

10:16 AM: Walden says they’re waiting on SLEEPY HOLLOW’s potential renewal. She’s hopeful it’ll come back, and there are some changes coming…things will be less serialized, and more story of the week.

10:17 AM: “BACKSTROM has been a love affair for us for over two years,” Newman says. They love they are now able to schedule it and market it themselves.

10:19 AM: “We’ve been working with Terrence [Howard] for about a year…he’s so professional and has been a great partner to us,” Walden says when asked about Howard’s (allegedly) violent past towards his exes. She says they weren’t aware of his restraining orders, etc., until this past December.

10:21 AM: The scope of MINORITY REPORT is going to require a lot of prep. They’re making sure the right projects for the network end up there.

10:23 AM: No news re: a return of 24. They’ve been having conversations to do more, but nothing is set in stone.

10:24 AM: Newman say GLEE is ending at the right time. “It’s not unusual for a show that burns as brightly as GLEE did…to end just as quickly,” he says. He points out they got to do unbelievable experiences with the cast, from tours to trips to the White House, etc.

10:25 AM: “I think Fox for a long time has had a reputation for big, bold shows…I would hope, ultimately, the network is recognized for great showmanship,” Walden says.

10:26 AM: “Sometimes, whether it’s a star or a star showrunner, you can build a campaign around someone and make a difference,” Newman says of ABC’s TGIT.

10:27 AM: Walden says the change is “responding not necessarily the criticism, but seeing the show has a high level of difficulty…the show got a little overly serialized this season. It’s very hard to hit the right balance of [everything]…we felt as watching the show it got a little too serialized.” They say they’re fans of the show, and it felt like it got too much, so at the midseason point, they and the EPs agreed to make a bit of a shift.

10:29 AM: Simon Cowell is in talks with the network about something, TBD. (Nothing to announce today.)

10:30 AM: How do they split up their duties? Walden jokes she does the fun stuff, Newman does the hard stuff.

10:31 AM: “We really fell in love with the show when we came to the network,” Newman says of RED BAND SOCIETY. He says they originally resented the show before they got to the network because they wanted the slot for the network, but when they saw it, they fell in love. They went to ABC Studios to offer them to do extra episodes for the summer. ABC Studios opted to not do that. They were disappointed, because they would have rather had time to try and build the show’s audience.

10:33 AM: “At this point, WAYWARD is going to be our centerpiece” for Fox’s summer lineup, Walden says. They’re developing actively for the following summer, though.

10:35 AM: “We have nothing we can announce at this time,” Newman says, but they’re talking about bringing back X-FILES for an event series. Nothing about PRISON BREAK, though.